How to Say When You Ask for a Raise

If you're like most people, the thought of asking for a raise makes you nervous because you aren't quite sure what to say. You might have a general idea of why you deserve a salary increase, but how do you translate that into language to take to your boss?

The answer is easier than you might think: Just be straightforward.

For instance, your wording might sound like this:

"I was hoping that we could talk about my salary. It's been a year since my last raise, and in that time, I've taken on quite a few new responsibilities. I'm now solely responsible for overseeing our website and, as you mentioned last week, our results in that area have shot way up. I've also been managing Jane since Carlos left, and I've been able to resolve the concerns we'd had about her relations with vendors; that area has been going really smoothly since I began working with her. In addition, I know you're happy with the changes that I've made to our press releases, and we've been getting a 25 percent higher rate of response when we pitch those. Now that I've been doing these things for a while, I'd like to discuss increasing my salary to a level that reflects these increased contributions."

Note a few key points about this language:

* It doesn't just say that you'd like more money, but lays out reasons for why the raise is deserved. By explaining how you've been contributing at a higher level than when your salary was last set, you can make the case for your compensation to be raised accordingly.

* It references work that you've already done, not work that you're promising to do in the future. Some people want to ask for a raise as soon as they take on new responsibilities. While this can make sense if those new responsibilities are part of a promotion to an entirely new job, if they're simply a new part of your existing job, it's generally more effective to wait until you show how well you've done with the new tasks. "Pay me more to take on new work" generally doesn't go over well, outside of a promotion. But "I've taken on new work and here are the outstanding results that I obtained in doing so" is often precisely the formula that will garner a raise.

* It makes a case based on your value to your employer. There's no mention here of what your co-workers get, or the fact that you need more because your kid is about to go to college. It's all about why your value to the company has increased, and why your compensation should reflect that.

Aside from preparing yourself with language similar to the above, there's also one more thing that you should prepare before walking into your boss's office to make that raise request: what to say if the answer is no.

Too many people just skulk off feeling dejected if their raise request is turned down. Don't let that be you. Instead, be prepared to say something like,"What would it take for me to earn a raise in the future?" A good manager should be willing to talk with you about specifically what you'd need to do to hear "yes" next time.

Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. She's also the co-author of Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Manager's Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

How to Archive older items manually

Your Outlook mailbox is only so big, and it’s a good bet that you won’t stop getting email anytime soon. To keep it from filling up, you can move old items you want to keep to an archive, a separate Outlook Data File (.pst) that you can open from Outlook any time you need it.

By default, Outlook uses AutoArchive to archive items at a regular interval. To learn more, see Archive older items automatically .

You can also archive items manually whenever you want. That way, you can control which items to archive, where to store them, and how old an item needs to be before it can be archived.

1. Click File > Info > Cleanup Tools > Archive.

 TIP    Archive and AutoArchive might not be available if your mail profile connects to an Exchange Server. It's also possible that your organization has a mail retention policy that overrides AutoArchive. Check with your system administrator for more information.

2. Click the Archive this folder and all subfolders option, and choose the folder you want to archive.
3. Under Archive items older than, enter a date.

4. You can create multiple .pst files if you want to archive some folders using different settings. For example, you may want to keep items in your Sent folder longer than items in your Inbox folder.
5. Check the Include items with “Do not AutoArchive” checked box to archive individual items that are excluded from automatic archiving. This option doesn't remove that exclusion from these items, but instead ignores theDo not AutoArchive setting for this archive only.
6. Click OK.

Turn off AutoArchive

To archive only when you want, turn off AutoArchive.

1. Click File > Options > Advanced.
2. Under AutoArchive, click AutoArchive Settings.
3. Uncheck the Run AutoArchive every n days box.

How to Tie a Bow Tie with Easiest Way

You might not associate bow ties with Alton Brown, but if you don't, you haven't seen some of his more recent TV shows. In his most recent video, he shows us how to pick a good-looking bow tie, along with the easy way to tie one, using himself and his own collection of ties as props.

The full video is worth a watch, especially if you don't already own bow ties or think they just look kind of goofy unless you're wearing formalwear like a tuxedo (he goes out of his way to highlight more than a few classy gentlemen who often wore bow ties without looking like circus performers.) Alton walks through common styles of bow ties, from the standard bow to the Jackson to the ever-sharp batwing tie. If you're not sure what size bow tie to get, the simple equation to remember is to take your neck size (same as you'd use for collared shirts), double it, and add two inches.

From there, he explains that tying a bow tie is a lot like tying a shoe. It's difficult to describe in text, but Alton walks you through each step in the video, complete with close-ups so you can see exactly what to do with your hands. Of course, mastering the bow tie requires practice, so you'll only get there if you own one to try out.